The War
by WilltheGreat
Summary: On New Years Eve, 1958, the civil war between Fontaine and Ryan began. Chuck Torrin needs to get his family out of Rapture. Or whats left of them.
1. The Job

It's been quite a while since I've written a fanfiction, although I have been working on some other stories. I'm older now, and I think my writing has improved a bit. Anyway, enjoy the story.

Chuck Torrin rolled out of his bed at his room in the Fighting McDonough's Tavern. His friend worked as a bar tender and was able to get him a room. Apartments in Apollo Square were unbearably priced these days, and money was a bit tight. Working as an engineer in Rapture wasn't going as well these days. There just weren't as many holes in the old girl as there was when he first arrived, which meant there would be less pay. Life sucked a big one for Chuck.

It was December 30, and on New Years he was going to have a few beers with his buddies after visiting his family in their apartment in Arcadia. It's been a while since he's been able to visit them, because railway fair was so expensive now, so new years was one of the only times he could visit them, since everyone was at home drink alcohol. He was sure, though, many of them would be shooting up plasmids like no other, since Ryan Industries made them open for public use. Hell, you couldn't walk down a hallway without bumping into a gatherers garden. He never had an interest in them. Not worth spending the money on the Adam, and sticking a needle that big into your arm looked pretty painful.

Chuck walked over to his dresser and threw on a pair of Jean Pants, his work belt, and his work shirt. He laced up his boots, and then put on his hard hat. He thought a moment about grabbing his revolver, but decided against it. If someone really tried to mug him, he'd just whack'em over the head with his wrench. He chuckled at the thought, but didn't realize he would soon be whacking more heads with that wrench then he ever did using it to fix Rapture.

He walked out of his room, and then typed in the pass code his friend has given him. He didn't have anything worth taking, except maybe his diving suit with the drill for the arm he was working on. It was pretty similar to a Big Daddy suit, except his was built mainly as a tool than a defense-weapon, although it could certainly be used for the latter if need be. The problem with it, however, was that it was a good deal heavier than a Big Daddy suit, so he only brought it with him when he needed to use it.

As Chuck walked down the steps into the bar, he noticed a few goons from the fisheries were already there, probably from the night shift. They looked like their souls were just sucked right out of them, a solemn look on every single face. The goons reeked of dead fish and sea water, and it's probably been a good while since any of them have taken a shower.

He exited the bar and walked towards the fisheries, and from there towards the bathysphere, where he would go to medical to inspect a leak reported the previous day. There were some strange people down there, more or less Dr. Steinman, who had gotten to the point of talking to himself during surgeries. Hopefully Chuck wouldn't have to cross paths with the doctor, but you just never knew anymore with some of these people in Rapture. A few people have already went bat-shit insane, and they were locked away somewhere in Neptune's Bounty.

He reached the bathysphere station, and he already found there were a couple of families cluttered around the railway. The water began to bubble up, and a young boy shouted "It's coming up!" He jumped up and down. His father put his hands on the boy's shoulders to calm him down, and then ran a finger through the boys straw blond hair.

The bathysphere bubbled up and the hatch swung open. Everyone filed in, taking a seat on the padded benches. A man in a red tux with kakis was working the lever, asking everyone where they were headed. After he worked his way around the small compartment, he returned back to his station and pushed the lever onto the spot that said "Point Prometheus." The bathysphere was a slow vehicle, and it was around 30 minutes before they reached medical, by which point Chuck was the last one besides the bathysphere worker in the bathysphere. He tipped the many a dime than walked towards the exit. He would need to walk towards Eternal Flame, where the dead were cremated. They sure had their work cut out for them, with more and more bodies piling up everyday. A lot of people had tried to leave Rapture but Ryan has already said "Once you're in, there's no way out. Think of it like a contract." People were definitely trying to get out. Some extremists had tried to hijack a bathysphere. Many people were expecting a war between the two powerhouses of Rapture, Frank Fontaine and Andrew Ryan. And if there was a war, there was no doubt Rapture would go straight to hell.

He took out his notepad, where he would write down any leaks or creaks so he could fix them later. He jotted down a few small cracks, specifically in the tunnel connecting the two parts of medical. He jumped up the steps two at a time a walked into Eternal Flame. Chuck was immediately overwhelmed by the heat from the furnaces, but he continued forward towards the main offices. How could someone work in these conditions?

He opened the door to the offices where Mr. Parkinson sat in his work chair writing the obituary for some poor soul. He put it aside.

"Ah, you must be here for da leak in my pipe."

"Yes sir I am."

"Den follow me."

Parkinson was an old fellow with a thin layer of gray hair and a drooping nose. He had a very bad hobble and had to walk with a cane to keep from falling over. As they were walking down the steps, a young woman ran up the steps, almost knocking them both down. Chuck glanced for a moment and saw that she was quite ugly. Then she was gone.

"I sees you got an eye for me daughter?"

"Eh no sir." Chuck said. And it was true. The girl was uglier than a 5 eyed eel.

"Don't worry, she's going Steinman today and he will make her beautiful." He clapped his hands in glee. "Den we shall see about getting her a husband."

"Are you sure that's the bes-." Chuck tried to say, but was cut off.

"Here is my pipe!"

Indeed, there was a small leak in the pipe. Nothing substantial, just a little dribble. Chuck took out his pipe glue, and then squeezed a bit over the pipe. He smeared it in with a bit of sandpaper, and then applied pressure to it. After about 5 minutes, the job was done, and there was no more leak. Parkinson handed Chuck five dollars, and Chuck left. He would go back to his room to put the money with the rest of his savings, and then get back to work. He would need to visit Fort Frolic and then the Fontaine's home for the poor. He didn't like visiting Fontaine territory, but he needed to money.

He entered the bathysphere and told the man "Neptune's Bounty."

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End Sequence 1


	2. Fontaine Territory

Chuck stepped out of the bathysphere onto the dock of Neptune's Bounty. It was about 4 o clock by this point in the day, and if he wanted to get the rest of his work done so he could take New Year's off, he'd need to double time it over to the tavern, then head over to Fort Frolic. He was feeling a bit hungry, however, so he would grab a pep bar on his way back to the bathysphere. He entered his room and deposited the money in his safe and replaced the glue he had used at the crematory. He rushed back out of his room, down the many always, and back to the bathysphere station. There were less people riding this sphere than last time, and there was also a different person manning the level. He told the man "Fort Frolic" and they were off.

Many minutes later, Chuck arrived at Fort Frolic. Chuck was a little nervous about the Fort though. Cohen has been known to shoot at people who have dressed poorly for an excursion to the Fort. He was just another psychopath to Chuck.

He walked into the main hall, where a large staircase lead up to the Fleet Hall. It had been blocked off, however, because of a substantial leak coming from the glass ceiling. There was a large pool of water gathering at the bottom of bottom of the steps. Chuck plashed through the water and dodged the leak, and made is way up to Cohen's office. There was no reason to go see Cohen about the leak. He just wanted to make sure where he could expect Cohen to come from if he decided he would like Chuck's brains to be splattered all over the fleet hall. This would have amused Cohen.

He climbed up the steps to his office two at a time, but he didn't need to make it to the top before he heard Cohen yell "I know what you want! Do it and get out!" Chuck shrugged his shoulders and hopped back down the steps, tools clanging around with each step.

When he got back to the main hall, he pulled the "Suction Paddies" from his belt and placed them on his hands, and then his feet. He then ran to the fall, hopped onto it, and started climbing for the leak. When he reached it, he pulled a roll of sticky glass, a sort of plastic wrap used to hold windows and glass objects together temporarily until said object could be repaired in the proper manner, out of his back pocket and taped up the ceiling. It would have to hold until he was able to come back with the right equipment. He marched his way back up to Cohen's office to collect his pay, only to find it empty. Luckily, Chuck charges an extra 7% for everyday he doesn't get paid, so it was no bother for him at the moment. He realized he was behind schedule, and hustled his way over to the bathysphere. Even though Chuck hadn't been paid, he still wanted to go back to his room to grab his revolver, a .357 magnum his father had given him after WW2. He cherished it deeply, and it was always loaded. And since he was heading to Fontaine territory, it may finally get its chance to prove itself in the city of Rapture.

As soon as the bathysphere came up, he sprinted out without leaving the man working the thing a tip. He unlocked the door to his room, and grabbed the revolver. He then rushed back out and back to the station. He slipped on a small puddle on his way out, and almost forgot to write it down. He hopped into the bathysphere and slouched down on the cushioned chair. He rubbed the sweat off of his forehead. It had been a pretty long day so far, and Fontaine wasn't going to make it any better.

When the 'sphere landed, he ran all the way Fontaine's Home for the Poor. He slowed down in front of the door and casually walked in. He passed a few people waiting to talk on the phone or get some grub from the window leading into the kitchen. Chuck had no time to eat, so he walked over to the stairs and started his trek towards the top. Fontaine's office was on the Fourth floor, and he was on the first. It would be one hell of a walk.

As Chuck walked, he began noticing a few strange things. First off, a lot of the homeless were injecting themselves with plasmids. Pretty odd, considering they were homeless and plasmid prices were through the roof. Second, even though they tried to keep them hidden, a lot of them were loading guns. That was probably worse than the plasmids, but equally strange. He reached the 4th floor and walked into Fontaine's office. The bald man was sitting at his desk in the corner of the room with his head bent over a piece of paper. He lifted his head and began to speak.

"Chucky, thanks for comin'. Let me show you where the leak is." He led Chuck back out the door and down the steps. He walked way down into the basement, which was already flooded with water. It was pretty obvious that the leak was coming from a missing section of pipe running the perimeter of the room.

"Ya see, that's bad bungo. And I hate bad bungo. Get it fixed, and there could be something extra in it for ya." He said, winking his eye. He shook Chuck's hand and walked back up the steps.

Chuck turned back to the pipe, which continued to gush water. He would need to block off both sides of the pipe then put it back in. The blocks would only last about 30 minutes, so he would need to work fast. He placed the blocks in the pipe and sloshed through the water to the steps. He walked into the first shelter, and asked one of the homeless if they saw a pipe anywhere. The woman ignored Chuck, so he continued on. About halfway through his searching, a man stopped Chuck and pointed at the magnum holstered at Chuck's waist.

"That's a nice gun. Wish I had one like it." The man held out his hand.

"Uh thanks. You wouldn't happen to have seen a pipe anywhere, would you?" Chuck said.

The man shook his head and grinned. "No, you don't understand. I WISH I had a gun like that."

"I'm sure you did. Now where's the pipe."

"Do I have to spell it out for you? Give me the fucking gun or I'll split your skull wide open. He made a grab for the gun, but Chuck swatted his hand away. The man punched Chuck in the gut, and he fell backwards. Chuck reached for the magnum, but the man was already trying to grab it from him. Instead, he rolled over and took out his wrench. He cracked it over the man's head, who proceeded to wobble out the door. He then fell on the ground. In a rage. Chuck whipped the wrench back across the mans face, where a large gash began to open up.

"I'll ask you one more time! Where is the god damned pipe!"

The man pointed to the women, who had been hiding the pipe. Chuck snatched it from her. A few cigarettes fell out, but Chuck paid no mind. He walked back down to the basement and placed the pipe in its proper spot. Satisfied with his work, Chuck walked calmly back to Fontaine's office. He was about to walk through the door when he heard voices coming from the room.

"I'll tell you one last time you fuck, even think about reporting me to the cops, and I'll throw your body in a ditch somewhere!"

"y-y-y-yes Mr. Fontaine!"

A man ran out of the room as Chuck stepped in. Frank was standing behind his desk, finger pointing at the door. He sat back down in his chair and pulled out a couple bills. He handed them to Chuck and pulled a box out of his desk. He handed the box to Chuck and said "Just a little something extra for your troubles with Johnny M. down there". He opened the box to find a bunch of red pistol rounds. His eyes widened, realizing that he had just been given a box of anti-personnel rounds, which could only be smuggled from the surface, which was strictly forbidden. He didn't want to say anything, so he just thanked the man and began towards the door. Before he walked out, he just barely heard Fontaine say "Be careful out there Chucky". With that, he walked back to the station. He was done for the day. He would go home and sleep a long sleep, then wake up tomorrow and head over to Arcadia. It would be a good day for Chuck.

When he got home, he hid the box under his mattress. He placed the handgun back on his dresser, and lay down on his bed. He made it through Fontaine territory with barely a scratch. He leaned up and untied his boots, then kicked them into the closet. He rested his head on the pillow, and closed his eyes. He slept a peaceful sleep. He'd need it.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

I realized in the first chapter I said the railway fair was expensive. This only means when Chuck would not be working. Just thought I'd clear that up.


	3. Bar Fight

Chuck woke up at 10 a.m. He was in no hurry, so he took his time getting dressed. He threw his dirty clothes in a small box by the door. He would wash his clothes later. Today, he did not need to work, so was free to do whatever he wanted until around 4 o'clock, which is when he had to be in Arcadia visit with his family. Then after that, back over to the bar to get wasted.

Chuck walked through the door, and locked it behind him. He jumped down the steps of McDonough's, and passed the same old goons from the fisheries. Things never changed with the goons. Chuck was surprised they could even afford the booze, considering how little they make. Chuck continued out of the bar and down towards the bathysphere. He walked through the door into the station only to find that the sphere was not there. Considering they were required to be in service from 3 a.m. to 11 p.m., it was quite odd. A disappointed look on his face, Chuck walked back to McDonough's.

He decided he would just wash his clothes now, and then go back later to check for the sphere. He walked back up the steps to his room, and unlocked the door. He accidentally kicked the box of dirty clothes on the floor, which he picked up and threw on the bed. Chuck walked over to his closet, pushed aside his suit, and picked up the washboard and bucket. He took the bucket over to the window, where a simple water purifier/tap was attached. Chuck placed the bucket under the tap and turned it on. As the bucket filled up, he emptied the box onto his bed, then threw it back by the door.

After the bucket filled up, he put a soap tablet inside of it, and then began washing his clothes. There was a clothesline that ran through a bit of the apartment, and as he finished with each piece, he placed it on the line.

He finished washing his clothes and put everything away. He lay down on his bed and closed his eyes. It had only been an hour since he woke up, but he didn't care. For some reason, he was exhausted, which didn't happen to Chuck too often. His line of work required a lot of stamina, and washing clothes really wasn't all that strenuous. He closed his eyes and took a little nap.

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When Chuck woke up, he glanced over at his watch, but did a double take when he saw what time it was. It was 5 o'clock! He had slept for 6 hours! His parents would be so pissed! He hopped up from his bed and ran out of his room, almost forgetting to lock the door. He was almost out of the bar when his friend Bobby Mac, the bartender, called over to him.

"Hey Chuck" He yelled, just as Chuck had his first foot out of the door.

"Bobby, I'm in a bit of a hurry! I'm late!" He said.

"Don't worry about it man. Your parents called 2 hours ago. They said to tell you not to even bother coming. The bathyspheres aren't in commission, and there's no way into Arcadia."

"Really?" Chuck said as he sat down at the bar. "I would have figured they would have had them working. Oh well. Guess we celebrate early"

Bobby Mac slid him a beer, then pulled up his tab. Chuck looked at it, surprised.

"This is usually the part where you say 'here have a fresh cold one on the house'. Plus, it's New Years Eve. Can't I have 1 free cold one?" Said Chuck

"Considering how many free ones I already give you when it's not a holiday, I'd say no. And besides, Bill's been checking up on the sales records and the register everyday. If he starts noticing how many don't match up, He'll come down on me hard. Then I'm out of a job, and guess who's paying my salary until I get a new one."

"Yeah yeah whatever." Chuck said taking a swig of his beer.

So Chuck stayed there and drank until Bobby's shift was up. Then he drank with Bobby too. And then more people started showing up, so Chuck drank with them too. By 11:30, Chuck was flat out drunk. He would have been cut off 3 hours ago, but it was New Years, and it was his sole duty as a citizen of Rapture to get as drunk as humanly possible. When he finally was cut off (an alcohol related death would probably shut McDonough's down) they took his money and shoved him up the steps, like a mother to a drowsy child who did not quite want to go to bed.

Bobby shoved Chuck into his room and closed the door. Chuck was left on his floor, where he laid for 20 more minutes. He would have lain there longer, but he heard gunshots. Even in his drunken state, he picked up his wrench and stumbled down the steps. He got down there and saw 3 men with Tommy guns in their hands. Without a thought in his mind he yelled "_Hey! You there! Cease and desist the arms fire so that we may rest in piece!_" But what actually came out of his mouth was "Ey choo assholes betta shoot da fuck fuck fucking fuck up 'fore I come over dar and beat choo with my fuckin hamma!" The confused men looked at each other, then opened fire on poor Chuck. In his drunken state, Chuck tripped and fell behind the bar, which covered him from the oncoming bullets. One of the men made the bad mistake of stepping behind the bar to finish him off, but was met by a wrench to the forehead, strategically placed by Chuck. In other words, He threw it at the guy in the middle of all the spinning ones. He picked up his wrench and threw it again, this time missing the man, but hitting the shelf above him and knocking all of the contents onto the man. He was knocked out instantly.

"Screw this I'm outta hear! No way in hell I'm dealing with this maniac!" Guy number 3 yelled. He sprinted out of the bar, leaving the door wide open.

"And yinz betta not eva fuckin try dat eva da fuck again, or I'll hit jas wit ma hamma!" Chuck yelled. He then proceeded to fall unconscious. He spent the rest of his night on the floor.

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Hey guys and girls, sorry for taking so long to update, it's been a pretty rough few weeks for me. Hopefully I update more often from now on.


End file.
